Day-care deadline drawing near

Only 18 of 150 providers licensed by city; others in process

Only 18 of 150 providers licensed by city; others in process

December 21, 2007|By Jackie Burke Grumish, jburke@aberdeennews.com

Only 18 of Aberdeen's more than 150 child-care providers have fulfilled all city license requirements - and the deadline is 12 days away. Earlier this year, the City Council decided all home-based child-care providers must be licensed with the city. Requirements include a nationwide background check, fingerprinting, cardiopulmonary resuscitation certification, a building inspection and a fire inspection. The city issued its first nine child-care licenses on Dec. 10. Another nine were issued on Dec. 17. Brett Bill, planning and zoning director, said roughly another 70 child-care providers are in the process of getting licensed. Janice Schock, one of the first providers to be issued a license on Dec 10, said the requirement is good. “We want our kids to be safe,” she said. Safety is the reason for the licensing requirement, Bill said. Previously, only child-care providers caring for 13 or more children were required to register with the state. Until now, no home-based providers needed to be licensed with the city. Now, those caring for 12 or fewer are required to be licensed with the city - even if they're already registered with the state. One of those state-registered providers is Michelle Frazier, an Aberdonian who cares for 10 kids. “I'm state licensed, so I think it's unnecessary (to get a city license), but it's been OK,” she said. The process has been less work than she expected, but the numerous inspections add unnecessary stress to the busy lives of child-care providers, she said. Hoops and confusion: Jennifer Marnette, an Aberdeen child-care provider, agreed. “I'm a big fan of screening, and the fingerprinting is great,” she said. “But I thought it was a lot of hoops to jump through.” Confusion between the city and the state caused some of the problems, she said. Marnette tried to get licensed through the state, but hit a road block when state officials told her she needed to complete the city's requirements before she could get her state license. During the city licensing process, she was told her fee would be waived if she was registered with the state. “There's some confusion there,” she said. “And no one seemed to know anything about it.” Bill said the problem is the city-required special exception. Because it's a zoning requirement, the state requires it be completed before a state license is issued. The process is generally pretty simple, Marnette said. The city's finance office provides a packet that lists all the requirements, she said. Requirements include fingerprinting, applying for a special exception from the zoning board of adjustment, a building inspection and a fire inspection. Inspections: The inspections were easy, she said. She said although the inspectors seemed like they wanted to go off on their own, she followed them around to help with any questions they have. “The fire marshal started looking around my kitchen and I said, 'Are you looking for my fire extinguisher? Because it's over here,'” she said. A fire extinguisher is just one thing inspectors look for in the house, Bill said. The building inspectors also look for egress window requirements, smoke detectors, fenced play areas and other building code requirements, he said. After child-care providers fulfill the requirements, city licenses will be valid for two years. After two years, providers can renew their license by filling out an application 45 days before their license expires. Adam Altman, city attorney, said the city's goal is to get compliance with the ordinance, not to punish the child-care providers. He said those who have started the licensing process will not be punished when the Jan. 1 deadline passes. Those who have not made an attempt to get a license could be charged with a class II misdemeanor, which carries a maximum penalty of 30 days in jail and a $500 fine, he said.